Check the Column
by laurah2215
Summary: Danny has a pressing question, and he looks for answers in his usual manner-putting it in his column.


Title: Check the Column

Author: Laura H

Disclaimer: After all this time, do you really think I've made a dime off this?

Synopsis: Danny has a pressing question, and he looks for answers in his usual manner-putting it in his column.

Author's Note: This one's just a wee stand-alone piece of fluff for the fun of it. Has no relation to my previous series.

"You've got messages," Carol informs her boss as CJ Cregg enters the outer office and immediately reaches for her office door.

"Okay, just give me five minutes," CJ requests, hanging up her jacket on the coat rack and abandoning her purse beside her desk.

"Have you seen the papers yet?" Carol inquires with a nervous expression.

"It's six-thirty in the morning," CJ points out as way of response, glancing up at Carol's worried face.

"So, no then?" Carol clarifies optimistically.

"What happened?" CJ sighs in exasperation, picking her reading glasses up off her desk and reaching for the Washington Post on the corner.

"You know what, I'm gonna wait outside," Carol suggests, slipping quickly out of CJ's office and closing the door tightly behind her, anticipating CJ would be upset when she read the news and probably make some noise.

With an eye roll, CJ scans the front page, silently thinking how much she hated days where a problem or scandal hit the wires before her second cup of coffee. She finds nothing overly note-worthy on the front fold and flips for the political section. Again, nothing alarming, just the usual jitter about the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Senate Committee hearing. She makes her way through the Arts and Leisure and Style sections, wondering if one of the celebrities had been caught in some political scandal. Still no news which would affect the President, and herself by extension. Finally, CJ's eyes fall upon a small column and she smiles at the by-line by one Daniel Concannon. Her smiles immediately falls into a frown and then transitions into a mean scowl as she reads the shaggy-headed reporter's words.

Dear Ms. Cregg,

By: Daniel Concannon, Washington Post staff writer.

18 April 2003

Ladies and gentlemen, if you would allow me a personal indulgence, I would greatly appreciate it. You see, when I am faced with a difficult, probing question for which I desire an answer from Congress or the White House, I often pose it in this column. Today, I have a question directed solely toward Ms. Cregg, current Bartlet administration Press Secretary. , as you are aware, we have been seeing each other socially for quite a while now. After the President's reelection, I came back to the White House as a senior correspondent, and the friendship we once shared grew out of lengthy conversations and short excursions to the Mess. Eventually, I was able to persuade you to accompany me on an outing outside the White House and not associated with any professional directive. You charmed me with your wit, intelligence and contagious smile. Needless to say, I was a goner. You had me, hook, line and sinker. Miraculously, you consented to the occasional date, where I proceeded to dazzle you with my encyclopedic mind and boyish charm. Since then, I have fallen head over heels in love with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. When you came to Boston with me to visit my family, I realized just how much I wanted you in my life. I will only ever be content and satisfied if I am doing everything in my power to make you happy. My happiness is now completely integrated with your own. Words, nor actions could suffice to describe the depth of my feelings. The only thing that could make me happier would be to have you in my arms for the rest of my life, and the most effective means to achieve that is certainly marriage. I will beg, I will plead, I will do whatever it takes to get you to say yes, just as I persistently pleaded with you to allow me that first date. I wanted to make a grand gesture in asking you so you would understand the sincerity of my feelings. Writing here is the grandest and most definitive way I could imagine to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me. So, the only question remaining is:

Claudia Jean, will you marry me?

"CAROL!" CJ screams from her chair, slamming the paper down on the desk.

Carol cautiously opens the office door and peers inside. "Yes?"

"Get me Danny, immediately!" CJ shouts, practically indignant.

"He's, uh, right here." Carol steps back to reveal Danny waiting in front of CJ's office, bouncing on his feet and his hands held behind his back.

Danny grins at the love of his life and lets himself into the office. "Should I close the door?" Danny inquires nonchalantly, taking the initiative to shut the door to give them some privacy.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" CJ yells, flying out of her chair and flailing the newspaper in her hand.

"Perhaps I should explain," Danny begins, turning serious.

"You wrote in your newspaper personal details of our relationship! You proposed to me in front of your millions of readers across the world?" CJ squares herself in front of Danny, her look of daggers piercing Danny's clear, confident blue eyes.

"Millions of readers? I didn't know I had that many followers. Well thank you for that ego boost," Danny jests with a toothy grin.

"Daniel!" CJ squeals in frustration.

"So I take it your answer is no?" Danny tries again with the humour, but judges by CJ's expression that she isn't finding the situation entertaining. "Okay, first of all, don't hit me, but I didn't actually propose to you in the Washington Post. I had a guy in the printing room do me a little favour and make this one copy. My column isn't actually in today's real newspaper. I thought it would be a unique gesture. I had Carol in on it. She replaced the Post on your desk with this one."

CJ's heart rate slows down and she pauses to consider the truthful revelation Danny gave her. Her boyfriend didn't actually ask her to marry him in a reputable newspaper. Perhaps she can breathe again. "So, you're not actually proposing?" CJ asks slowly, trying to clarify.

Danny's smile returns. "Well, I thought the paper would be a funny way to break the ice, but I see you didn't take it that well."

CJ sighs, collecting her thoughts. " Danny, you have to understand how shocked I was. I mean, I thought you asked me to marry me in print media. I would have been so embarrassed. Think of how the President would have been affected. Ever since we got together I insisted on privacy."

Danny nods and takes CJ's hands in his own. " I know. And I always respected your wishes. I would never have embarrassed you like that. That was just supposed to be funny. But, every word I wrote was the truth. I was serious about everything I said. I do love you. I do want to spend the rest of my life with you. "

CJ physically melts at Danny's soft smile and his thumbs tracing circle patterns across her palms. "I love you, too, Danny."

"So, then…" Danny lowers himself onto one knee and retrieved a green velvet box from his suit pants pocket. "Will you marry me?"

CJ's breath hitches as her fingers come to her lips. A minute ago, she could have murdered Danny, but now as she gazes into his clear blue eyes, she's reminded of just how deeply she loves this man. If nothing else, Danny is exciting and original. She can't deny that. "You're a complete moron, you know that? Most guys take a woman out to dinner, maybe slip the ring in the champagne."

Danny shrugs, holding out the box containing the platinum emerald-shaped diamond ring. "Well, when have we ever done anything conventional?" Danny retorts, hoping based on CJ's bright smile that she's only stringing him along.

"There was that time we…"CJ begins teasingly, before being interrupted by Danny.

Danny raises his brow. "CJ, I'm kinda kneeling on your office floor and probably wrinkling my pants. An answer, at some point, would be nice."

CJ pauses to consider her next move. Should she accept Danny's proposal? She decides she can have a little fun with the situation and devises an alternative plan. "You'll have it," CJ assures him, taking his arm and encouraging him to stand up.

"You got a brief timetable? Because I'm a busy man." Danny jests, starting to worry that maybe CJ won't accept his proposal.

CJ chuckles throatily. "No. You proposed with an element of surprise, I think I will give you my response with an element of surprise. You made me panic for a minute, so I think you can sweat it out for a while." Her sly smile indicates to Danny that she isn't rejecting him yet, she is merely upping the game.

"Ah-kay…So, I should…." Danny's eyes dart around in confusion.

"Go do your job. I'm sure I'll run into you later." CJ walks nonchalantly back to her desk and resumes her seat behind it.

Danny is left flabbergasted. "So, um, this ring…"

CJ shrugs, booting up her computer. "You may want to keep it around for a while. I particularly like that cut."

"Uh, all right. I guess I'll go…go back to my desk then," Danny states slowly.

"Mhmm," CJ nods in reply.

"Okay, see ya later," Danny whispers, clearly confused as to what had happened. He had just proposed to CJ and she wanted to make him wait a while for her answer. Did that mean she needed time to decide whether she wanted to spend her life with him? Did that mean she was about to break up with him? Or was she going to agree to marry him, but wanted to punish him a little for his stunt in the Post by making him nervous.

"What happened?" Carol inquires immediately after Danny appears at her desk.

Danny's eyes are narrowed as he gives his head a little shake. " I don't know."

"Did she say no?" Carol asks, clearly disappointed if this was her boss' reaction. She adored the scruffy reporter and thought he was perfect for CJ. The last few months that they had been dating, CJ had been markedly more happy, and that definitely made Carol's job better.

"Not exactly. She said she would get back to me," Danny replies, trying to wrap his head around what had just taken place.

"Oh. Well maybe she just needs a little time," Carol suggests hopefully. "Don't be discouraged. CJ rarely ever thinks with her heart. Maybe she just has to rationalize everything in her head first." Carol can't help but frown. She had been counting on a big celebration this morning.

CJ points to the blonde woman in selecting her next question. " Katie?"

"CJ, will the President veto the bill in its current form unless the amendment package is removed?" Katie inquires of the Press Secretary at the afternoon briefing.

"As I stated before, the President would like to see senators discourage these amendments because they significantly water-down the environmental bill and hamper its chances of improving the welfare of our natural resources," CJ replies from the podium in the Press Briefing Room, without consulting her notes. CJ glances up to the forth row and spots Danny scribbling rapidly in his notebook. " Danny?"

Slightly startled, Danny's head pops up and he quickly scans the room, wondering what he could have done to provoke CJ's attention. He hadn't raised his hand. In fact, he hadn't asked CJ any questions at the briefing today. "Yes?"

Taking in a deep breath, CJ decides to take a giant risk. "I believe you had a question earlier for which you were seeking an answer from me?"

Danny's face registers even more surprise than when CJ had not responded to his proposal and insisted that he had to wait for an answer. Did CJ really want him to ask her to marry him during the briefing, live in front of T.V viewers? "Yes?"

"The answer is yes," CJ beams, smiling down at only one face in the crowd.

Danny's lips curl into a growing smile. "Really?"

"You can see me after for a follow-up if you need any clarification. Well, boys and girls, that's it for the day. I'm calling a full lid." CJ collects her briefing notes and walks off the little stage with one final smile for Danny.

"Oh, my God!" Carol practically squeals, following her boss down the long West Wing corridors as CJ walks in the direction of her office. "Does this mean you're getting married?"

"Shssh," CJ directs to Carol, whipping her head around. But she can't stop smiling. The truth was, she had never actually hesitated about her answer. She knew as soon as Danny got down on one knee that she wanted to marry him. But after he almost gave her a minor aneurism, CJ decided Danny needed a little punishment.

Danny comes running up behind them, trying not to draw too much attention from on-lookers. "That, that was how you gave me your answer? You scared me. I thought I would have to get down on one knee in front of the White House Press Corp. " Even though he was surprised, he is also elated that CJ's answer had been in the affirmative.

"Ha! Now you know how I felt," CJ giggles as they approach her outer office where Carol's desk sits. "Get in here, Freak Boy," CJ demands, tugging Danny gently by his tie into her office and shutting the door behind them. Even though Carol was privy to what was going on, she wants to savour the moment just with Danny.

Danny grabs CJ by the waist and pulls her flush against him, his face lighting up with joy. "So your answer is yes?"

CJ laughs merrily, her hands coming up to touch Danny's face. "Yes! Yes. The answer was always going to be yes. I just wanted to see that look of pure shock on your face in there."

Danny squeezes CJ's arms and kisses her in an excited rush. "Oh, thank, God. I am so relieved. I love you so much. I really wanna marry you. I promise we'll work this out."

CJ nods with conviction. They still had a lot to deal with, deciding when to make their engagement actually public just one problem. But right now, their jobs, the President, nothing else mattered. "I know we will. I believe you. I trust you. I love you, and you're the only one I ever consider agreeing to matter. So, that being said, is there any chance you still have the ring?"

Danny beams as he removes the green box from his suit jacket pocket and holds it open for CJ's more thorough inspection. "Whadda ya think?"

Smiling in satisfaction, CJ nods. " It's perfect."

Danny slips the emerald-shaped diamond ring onto CJ's left ring finger, noticing the flawless fit. " You're perfect."

CJ caresses Danny's cheek and leans in for another kiss. "I guess I'm never gonna miss your column again."

"Good. I'll be sure to continue to ask insightful questions," Danny replies with a soft smile, rubbing CJ's fingers in his own. He supposes the best thing that ever happened to him was getting his stint at the Post.


End file.
